After losing the 1st ODI of the series against Bangladesh in Dambulla by a margin of 90 runs, the Sri Lankans will need a complete turnaround if they are to square up the 3 match series.
The hosts were completely outplayed in all three disciplines in the 1st ODI by a Bangladesh side which is looking exceedingly like a team which could grow to be a real force to be reckoned with in the international arena.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s top order will be bolstered by the return of in-form Niroshan Dickwella, who will be back in the playing XI after serving a suspension in the previous game. He will slot in as opener and is likely to partner with skipper Upul Tharanga. It will be interesting to see if Sri Lanka decides to keep Dhanushka Gunathilake in the XI after playing just the 5 specialist batsmen on Saturday. There is also a possibility that Dhananjaya De Silva will start the game but the combination seems tough to predict, particularly since the bowlers went for plenty in the 1st ODI.
Thisara Perera’s 1st ODI 50 in more than 2 years was a welcome addition to an otherwise poor show by Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI but his bowling left much to be desired once again. Sachith Pathirana too was ineffective with the ball but showed some resistance with the bat. The other all-rounder in the side, Milinda Siriwardene, was not used, which makes one wonder why Sri Lanka decided to sacrifice a pure batsman for an all-rounder in the 1st place. With so many left handers in the Bangladeshi batting line-up, Sri Lanka should perhaps look to play Dhananjaya De Silva, who is capable of bowling some useful off spin.
Lakshan Sandakan and Suranga Lakmal had decent showings in the 1st ODI and while the latter was unable to finish his quota of overs after taking a blow to his right hand, he is expected to have recovered by Tuesday. Lahiru Kumara was poor with the ball and also surprisingly sloppy in the field, leaving the door open for Vikum Sanjaya to be picked ahead of him.
Probable XI: Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Asela Gunaratne, Dhananjaya De Silva, Thisara Perera, Sachith Pathirana, Suranga Lakmal, Vikum Sanjaya, Lakshan Sandakan
Bangladesh
Bangladesh had the near perfect game on Saturday. Anyone who thought they would be brought back to earth after their historic Test win a couple of weeks ago, during the ODI series, will now surely have to concede that Bangladesh are no longer the team Sri Lanka are accustomed to pummeling regularly. It is unlikely that the visitors will make any changes to their starting XI.
The key factor for Bangladesh has been consistence. Their batsmen, particularly Tamim Iqbal and Shaqib Al-Hasan, have been scoring runs regularly and have been supported by the likes of Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar as well. The bowling too has continued to be consistently good as Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza have managed to bag wickets all throughout the innings. The addition of Mehedi Hasan to the bowling line-up means that in reality there really isn’t a bowler who the Sri Lankans could look to successfully target on a regular basis.
The biggest difference between the two teams has definitely been the fielding. While Sri Lanka conceded upwards of 20 runs via misfields on Saturday, Bangladesh’s fielding helped the bowlers build pressure and keep the Sri Lankans in check.
Probable XI: Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shaqib Al-Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahamed, Mustafizur Rahman
